Sammanfattning

Plant species diversity influences the intensity of inter-specific competition for soil resources. To investigate how plant species richness and composition influence N2 fixation, the perennial clovers Trifolium hybridum L., T. pratense L., and T. repens L. were grown in experimental grassland plots at one site in Sweden and one in Germany. The species richness varied from monocultures up to 12 or 16 species per plot. The amount of N2 fixed in each Trifolium species was measured according to the 15N natural abundance and 15N isotope dilution methods using three non-N2-fixing reference species. N2 fixation ranged from close to 0 up to about 25 g N m-2 year-1 based on shoot biomass above 5 cm. The highest values were measured in species-poor communities where the legume(s) contributed most to the total biomass in the plots. Due to a consistently high reliance on N2 fixation, the amount of N2 fixed per area was strongly correlated with biomass of the three Trifolium species. Species richness had no consistent effect on N2 fixation

Publicerad i

Grassland Science in Europe
2008, nummer: 13, sidor: 227-229
Titel: Biodiversity and Animal Feed: Future Challenges for Grassland production
ISBN: 978-91-85911-47-9
Utgivare: European Grassland Federation

Konferens

22nd General Meeting of the European Grassland Federation

SLU författare

• Carlsson, Georg

  • Institutionen för norrländsk jordbruksvetenskap, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Palmborg, Cecilia

  • Institutionen för norrländsk jordbruksvetenskap, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Högberg, Peter

  • Institutionen för skogens ekologi och skötsel, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Huss-Danell, Kerstin

  • Institutionen för norrländsk jordbruksvetenskap, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

UKÄ forskningsämne

Jordbruksvetenskap


Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/18379